British dependency, with an important U.S. military base. Is formed by the
Chagos Islands (Diego Garcia, Peros Banhos, etc...) in the middle of the Indian
Ocean.Jaume Ollé, 9 June 1996

The territory was established on 8 November 1965 by the amalgamation of the
Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches islands (formerly part of the Seychelles) and
the Chagos Archipelago (formerly from Mauritius. On 29 June 1976 the former
Seychelles islands were retroceded to the Seychelles and were called there 'ZIL
ELOIGNE SESEL'.Herman De Wael, 24 May 1997

There is a flag, only used by the commissioner. It has wavy lines of blue and
white instead of the blue background of the Blue Ensign; the Union Jack in the
canton; and a palm tree with a crown in the fly. Curiously, this flag, as it
appears in my Crampton's Observers Book of Flags[cra90],
has the proportions of 2:3 instead of 1:2.Pascal Vagnat, 1 March 1996

Strictly speaking this is just the flag of the commissioner, the lone British
official who keeps up the pretence that the British Indian Ocean Territory is
anything other than an American base. Because the flag is rather unlike the
usual British colonial pattern, it would not surprise me if it's an unofficial
local creation that has since been ratified (it was formally adopted in 1990),
especially as it's for use on land only.Roy Stilling, 21 November 1996

The COA of [British Indian Ocean Territory] shows the motto of "IN TUTELA
NOSTRA LIMURIA" in some book and another shows the motto of "PEAKS OF LIMURIA".
Which one is correct? And what is the meaning of the motto (Latin?)Nozomi Kariyasu, 17 August 2002

"In tutela nostra Limuria" means "Limuria is in our charge" - Limuria is to
the Indian Ocean as Atlantis is to the Atlantic Ocean - the lost continent.
The Peaks of Limuria refer to the same mythical continent.Rob Raeside, 20 August 2002